Frank Gehry-designed project in Hollywood takes one step forward, one back

A state appeals court may have handed developer Townscape Partners a victory last week, but no one’s breaking out the bubbly just yet.

Last year, a Superior Court judge ruled that Los Angeles officials did not comply with environmental review policies when they approved Townscape’s Frank Gehry-designed mixed-use complex on Sunset Boulevard.

But the Second District Court of Appeals has now overturned that lower court decision, the Los Angeles Times reported. It ruled the city properly reviewed the proposal. Dubbed 8150 Sunset, the $300 million development calls for the construction of five buildings on the corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights boulevards. It would include 229 residential units, as well as 65,000 square feet of commercial space.

The Los Angeles Conservancy had filed the suit against the city in December 2016, alleging that the historic Lytton Savings building, now occupied by a Chase branch, should not be torn down as planned.

While the appeals court ruled in favor of the city, it also said officials had missed a detail in the project that would require the closure of a right-turn lane in a major intersection, the Times reported.

As a result, the project will be sent back to the city for another hearing. L.A. will have to prove the street is unnecessary for public use — a process that can take six to nine months. It might even drag on longer if another environmental determination is needed. [LAT] — Natalie Hoberman